Disney+ streaming service: Release date, shows and movies to expect and more – CNET

Disney is betting big on its 2019 streaming service, called Disney+. 

The company is ending its relationship with Netflix at the end of the year, and will instead make its own service the exclusive home for many Disney movies, TV shows and perhaps other streaming content.

You might be thinking, “No Disney, I don’t want to pay another monthly fee,” but that’s the direction the entertainment business is headed. Netflix seems to trot out original shows and movies on a weekly basis. Hulu (which will be majority-owned by Disney following its acquisition of Fox’s entertainment assets) provides a home for many broadcast network shows. CBS is pumping its CBS All Access service full of Star Trek shows and other original programs. (Disclosure: CBS is CNET’s parent company.) And DC Entertainment now has its DC Universe streaming service full of DC shows, movies and comics. 

So is the 2019 Disney+ streaming service something you should consider? Let’s go over all the details we know here, but the TL:DR is: if you like Star Wars or Marvel, yes.

On Nov. 8, Disney announced a Star Wars prequel series based on Rogue One and starring Diego Luna, who played Cassian Andor in the original movie. Disney also confirmed the service is developing a live-action Marvel series focused on Loki, a character from the Avengers and starring Tom Hiddleston reprising the role.    

What is the Disney streaming service?

The Disney+ streaming service will be a competitor to services like Netflix. Customers will be able to subscribe for a yet-to-be announced monthly fee to get access to TV shows, movies and other videos from the world of Disney. 

When’s the release date? 

You may be waiting even longer than Avengers 4 for this: Disney says it’s shooting for a release by the end of 2019. 

How much will it cost?

Disney has not yet announced pricing for its streaming service, but expect it to cost less than Netflix. 

Disney CEO Bob Iger said in November 2017 that his company’s service price will be “reflective of the fact that it will have substantially less volume” but plans to make up for it with high-quality programming from across its empire.

Shows and movies: What will I be able to watch?

Disney plans to make Disney+ the online home for all its family-friendly content, while Hulu — which Disney will control after its takeover of 21st Century Fox — will be its subscription for edgier, more adult-oriented fare. Disney+ will be the only place you can stream all of Disney’s theatrically released movies starting with its 2019 slate, and it will include content from the Disney brand itself, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and National Geographic. In fact, it’s organizing the app by those exact categories.  

In addition to live-action shows and movies, animation is supposed be to “integral” to Disney+, CEO Bob Iger has said, and Disney+ will have original behind-the-scenes documentaries. Out of the vast library of Disney’s past catalog, Disney+ is supposed to offer “unprecedented access” but we don’t know exactly what will be included or left out.  

We do we know the service will include shows and movies such as: 

• Star Wars: The Clone Wars new season (exclusive to this service)
• Marvel movies, starting with 2019’s Captain Marvel
• Star Wars films, starting with 2019’s Episode 9
• Pixar films, starting with 2019’s Toy Story 4
• A live-action, big-budget Star Wars TV series called The Mandalorian, being developed by Jon Favreau
• A Star Wars Rogue One prequel TV series, starring Diego Luna
• A live-action Marvel series focused on Avengers character Loki, starring Tom Hiddleston 
• Possible Marvel series that could star Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), according to Variety
• Possible Marvel series that would team up Buckey Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Sam Wilson aka Falcon (Anthony Mackie), according to Slashfilm
• An animated series based on Pixar’s Monsters Inc.
• A documentary about Walt Disney Imagineering
• Timmy Failure film directed by Spotlight’s Tom McCarthy
• A live-action Lady and the Tramp remake
• The Sword in the Stone remake
• Noelle, a movie starring Anna Kendrick
• Togo, a sled dog movie starring Willem Defoe
• Three Men and a Baby remake
• The Paper Magician film
• Stargirl film
• A High School Musical series
• A possible Muppets series

What shows and movies do you want to appear on Disney’s streaming service? Pop them into the comments section and we’ll keep updating this post with more information as it becomes available.

This piece was first published Aug. 27, 2018 and frequently updated as more news arrives.

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